However, after believing she was ‘slightly picking up’ on Friday, he said she quickly deteriorated and on Monday he took her to the doctors, who immediately called an ambulance to take her to hospital.

Devastated Stephen, 62, said: ‘She just got progressively worse, it just happened so quickly. Her hands were so cold, they were like ice.

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‘On Saturday she said she felt awful and said she was going to ring the doctors on Monday morning.

‘But by Monday she could hardly get up and had to go down the stairs on her backside because she couldn’t walk. I basically carried her into the doctors and from then it was just all systems go.’

Lisa Cheshire, 44, had complained of flu like symptoms, such as a headache and cough, and had taken a few days off work the previous week. (Picture: Liverpool Echo)

Lisa, from Netherton, was admitted to hospital and even when she was put on the critical care ward Stephen said he ‘never ever in a million years’ thought they could lose her.

He said: ‘She was sitting up on the bed and she seemed okay. She was having a laugh and a joke and we just thought that she was in the best place.

‘Doctors said that they were going to put her to sleep to try and help her breathing and oxygen levels.

‘I said ‘see you later’ before they took her down and that was the last time I ever spoke to her.’

‘I never gave it a thought that anything like this could happen. And 99 times out of 100 this would never happen and usually when you think you have flu, you do, but unfortunately in Lisa’s case it went horribly wrong. I can’t believe it.’

In a heartbreaking tribute to her mum and ‘best friend’, 11-year-old Mollie, who will soon be sitting her SATS said: ‘My mum will always be looking down on us and telling me and Luke to stay strong and keep up with school and pass are GCSEs and SATS.

‘Words can’t explain how much I love my mum, always will do and always have, I love her to the moon and back and more and always will. I miss her so much.

A justgiving page has been set up to help the family and has so far raised almost £6,000, far surpassing its £2,500 target.